Like this:

Yesterday I did it. I finished my first ever Half Marathon. That’s me in all my sweaty glory. I didn’t die. I’m not overly sore. I’m not regretting it. In fact, I want to try it again for a better time.

I learned a lot running this Half Marathon and I will be training differently the next time. For instance, it never occurred to me that the course would have hills on it. Dumb, huh? Of course there are hills. So next time I’ll do a lot more strength training, squats and lunges to get my legs stronger and in better shape.

Yes, I have a few other things I wishhad done differently, but still it was a great experience. The whole race day is incredibly exciting. The energy on the course is great. It’s cool how many people come out to cheer you on and I’m so proud now that I have my super awesome “finisher” medal. And next time I’m going for speed. 🙂

Another great by-product of running the race has been how much better we’ve been about our family diet. It even carried over to the way we feed our friends. Like when it was our tune to bring dessert to our church dinner, it just didn’t feel right to show up with a giant pie, so instead we brought a big bowl of Mixed Berry Yogurt Parfait. We used frozen berries to make it a little frosty for a cool summer treat. It seemed like a big hit, but we were at church and our friends might just keep their comments to them selves and pray that next time we bring the pie instead.

After looking forward to the race for so long, it’s hard not to have a fitness goal in mind. So to continue my motivation I actually have two. First is to run at least one 5k race between now and the end of the year. Some girl friends have shown some interest in running a race, so we should be able to motivate one another.

Also, I want to go back to teaching Group Fitness. I was teaching at least 1 class a week before we had Dom, but I haven’t found the time since Dom’s been here and life’s just kept cruising along. Teaching means making a commitment and letting some other things go. But continuing our healthy lifestyle effort is good for the whole family. If you’re looking for me this fall I’ll be the one at the gym.

So, off to ice my knee and count sheep not jumping over a fence, but instead sprinting up a hill. Meet ya at the next finish line.